Article 13 gives the Minister of Interior the right to recommend a Decree
for the revocation of Nationality of naturalised persons in four cases: 1)
if acquired by fraud, which will affect the person and their dependents,
2) If a naturalised person is convicted of any honour-related crimes in
the first 15 years of naturalisation, 3) If a naturalised person is dismissed
from a public office on disciplinary grounds due to honour-related
reasons in the first 10 years, and 4) if authorities obtained evidence
that a naturalised person has disseminated opinions which may seriously
undermine the social or economic structure of the state, or if the person
is a member of a foreign state or political association, and the person’s
dependents’ nationality may also be revoked.
Article 14 states that a Kuwaiti person may have their nationality revoked
by Decree on recommendation of the head of the department of Police
and Public Security in the following cases: a) if the person served in
the military services of another state, 2) if the person worked for a
state at war or suspended relations with Kuwait, and 3) if the person
resides outside Kuwait and became a member of associations which may
undermine social or economic structure of Kuwait or became convicted
of offenses which involve breaching allegiance to Kuwait. Article 15
states that a revoked nationality can also be restored by a Decree after
a recommendation from the Head of Police and Public Security.
Article 16 to 24 address technical aspects relating to authorities involved
in enforcement of the Law.
The Kuwaiti Nationality Law has witnessed 27 amendments over the
years, which made it confusing for people to understand the specifics of
the Law, particularly as there is no legal document to explain the actual
laws in terms of execution.
The first amendment changed article 5 that initially allowed granting
the Kuwaiti nationality to Arab persons who have served Kuwait with
valuable contributions. The article was then changed to include persons
who have contributed to the country according to the discretion of the
authorities.
10
Kuwait: Amendments to Kuwaiti Nationality Law
pose serious threats to human rights